Jefferson Chronicle-Spring/Summer 2012

J E F F E R S O NC H R O N I C L E

Spring 2012

JCHS SignS

ArtiCulAtion Agreement witH VirginiA weStern

preSident BiSHop nAmed

CHAir of interprofeSSionAliSm

At VtCSom

lindA riCkABAugH:refleCtionS on AlmoSt

30 YeArS of teACHing

Celebrating Our30th AnniversAryas a Degree Granting Institution

College BoArd of direCtorS

Stephen A. MusselwhiteChair

Ellen WadeViCe Chair

Joseph B. WrightSeCretary/treaSurer

Ms. Jeanne ArmentroutMs. Maryellen F. Goodlatte

Dr. David M. GringMs. Brenda Hale, R.N.Mr. Keith F. HelmerDr. Maxine M. Lee

Mr. William R. ReidMr. Charles Saldarini

Ms. Joy Sylvester-JohnsonThe Honorable Philip Trompeter

Mr. G. Robert Vaughn, Jr.Mr. Gary D. Walton

College AdminiStrAtion

Nathaniel L. Bishop, D.Min.PreSident

Lisa Allison-Jones, Ph.D.dean for aCademiC affairS

Anna Millirons, M.B.A., C.P.A.dean for adminiStratiVe SerViCeS

Scott Hill, M.S.dean for Student affairS

Glen Mayhew, D.H.Sc.aSSoCiate dean for inStitutional

effeCtiVeneSS

Francis C. Dane, Ph.D.Chair, artS & SCienCeS

Sharon L. Hatfield, Ph.D.Chair, Community health SCienCeS

Michael S. Krackow, Ph.D.Chair, rehabilitation & WellneSS

Ava G. Porter, D.N.P.Chair, nurSing

mAgAzine editorS

Mark A. LambertCatherine P. Turner

pHotogrApHY

Mark A. LambertBrett Winter Lemon

Muncy Fine PhotographydeSign & printing

Source4

College ACCreditAtion

Jefferson College of Health Sciences is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, baccalaureate and masters degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges

at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4501 for questions about the

accreditation of Jefferson College of Health Sciences.

C o n t e n t sJEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES

JEFFERSON CHRONICLE 1

SectionsA Letter from the President ........................................................................................2Jefferson Matters JCHS and Virginia Western Community College Sign Healthcare Management Articulation Agreement ............................................................3 JCHS President Dr. Nathaniel L. Bishop Steps into Interprofessionalism Chair Role ..........................................................................................................4 Winter Commencement 2011 .............................................................................5 JCHS and Carilion Clinic Coordinate on Adolescent and Student Health Services Clinic .......................................................................................5A Message From Sue Campbell, Alumni Association Board President .....................6 JCHS Alumni Profile JCHS Alum Andrew Slemp, ’91, Finds His Calling with LifeStar ..................7JCHS Scholarship Profile: The George Solonevich Scholarship .........................14JCHS Senior Profile: Jessie Toms, ’12, Respiratory Therapy ..................................15Class Notes ...................................................................................................................16Faculty/Staff Briefs .....................................................................................................19

FeaturesJCHS 30th Anniversary: Celebrating Three Decades as a Degree Granting Institution ....................................................................................................81982-2012: 30 and Thriving .........................................................................................12Reflections on Almost 30 years of Teaching: Linda Rickabaugh, R.N., M.S.N., Associate Professor in Nursing ..................................................................................13Save the Date: JCHS 6th Annual Homecoming Reunion .......................................21Did You Notice: The New JCHS Graduation Gift Campaign? .................. back cover

About the Coverin aPril 2012, Current JChS PreSident dr. nathaniel l. biShoP Sat doWn With mr. William reid, Who WaS adminiStrator of Community hoSPital of the roanoke Valley and Chairman of Community hoSPital of the roanoke Valley College of health SCienCeS in 1982 When We beCame a degree granting inStitution. the tWo leaderS Were PhotograPhed in front of mr. reid’S offiCial Portrait, WhiCh Still hangS in the third floor lobby of Carilion roanoke Community hoSPital. you Can learn more about our anniVerSary and the extraordinary Journey of the SChool from itS founding 30 yearS ago to today beginning on Page 8 of thiS iSSue of the Jefferson Chronicle.

CoVer Photo by brett Winter lemon.

2 VISIT uS ONLINE AT WWW.JCHS.EDu

Dear Alumni and Friends of Jefferson,

For most, 30 years can seem like a lifetime, but for those of us at Jefferson College of Health Sciences, it’s only a small fraction of the nearly 100 years that we have been educating the healthcare leaders of tomorrow. Yet, over the past three decades, JCHS has evolved in ways that many of us never could have imagined to become a leader in healthcare higher education in the Roanoke Valley and beyond.

This edition of the Jefferson Chronicle provides a unique opportunity to reflect on our 30th anniversary as a degree granting institution. In 1982, the modern iteration of the College was created, offering associate degrees in Nursing and Respiratory Care. But, as you will see in our cover story, the journey from the small college we were then with only a handful of students to the vibrant institution we are today with over 1,000 students participating in 14 degree programs wasn’t always smooth or easy. I had the pleasure of spending some time with Mr. William “Bill” Reid, reminiscing about the anniversary and the path we have travelled to where we are today. The conversation was truly a wonderful opportunity since Mr. Reid was the Administrator of Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley when our school was founded as part of that institution. Our conversation allowed us to explore our history from the perspective of the man in charge when our school was founded to my perspective, as the leader of Jefferson College today. I hope you enjoy reading about our conversation as much as I enjoyed being part of it. You can read the story beginning on page 8.

In addition to the featured article, we also look back with one of our faculty members who has been with us for almost 30 years. On page 13, we spotlight Linda Rickabaugh, an Associate Professor in the JCHS Nursing Program who has been a part of the faculty since 1983 and will retire this year. Her memories provide us with wonderful reflections on our past from the academic point of view.

While celebrating this anniversary, we also want to look ahead at the many exciting new developments JCHS is undertaking. For example, we’re partnering with fellow institutions of higher education to provide a seamless route to a college education. On the next page, you can read about the articulation agreement that we signed with Virginia Western Community College this spring that will allow their graduates to enter our Healthcare Management program on a junior level. With this agreement, we’re now offering these types of opportunities to graduates of not only Virginia Western, but also Roanoke College, Ferrum College and Hollins university.

We’re also expanding the impact of our Interprofessional Education Program (IPE) on campus and with the Virginia Tech Carilion Medical School and Research Institute (VTCSOM). I was honored to be named the Chair of Interprofessionalism at VTCSOM earlier this year and I see this new role as an opportunity to reinforce the importance of the initiative with the students and faculty involved. It helps our graduates enter the healthcare profession with the experience of being part of a team that contributes to overall patient care through cooperation and collaboration. You can see more information about the IPE initiative and my involvement with it on page 4.

As we reach this important milestone in the history of JCHS, I am proud to have been part of the legacy of the last 30 years and look forward to travelling with you to the exciting destinations we have in store for us in the next 30 years.

Sincerely,

Nathaniel L. Bishop, D.Min.

A Letter from the President

J e f f e r s o n M a t t e r sJEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES

JCHS and Virginia Western Community College entered into an articulation agreement that will allow Virginia Western graduates with an associate degree to enter into the JCHS Healthcare Management (HCM) Program at a junior level.

JCHS President Dr. Nathaniel L. Bishop and Virginia Western President Dr. Robert Sandel formally signed the agreement during a ceremony held on the JCHS campus on March 21, 2012. The agreement remains effective through December 31, 2015, at which time it may be renewed annually.

“This kind of collaborative partnership is important not only to Jefferson College and Virginia Western,” Dr. Bishop said of the agreement, “it’s also vital to students seeking a clear path to their higher education goals. As these students learn on both of our campuses, we’re preparing them to step into a variety of healthcare leadership roles, which will benefit patients and the healthcare community at large for years to come.”

To participate in this program, Virginia Western graduates must have earned an Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS) or Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree. These graduates must then meet the same admission requirements as other JCHS students in order to gain official admission into the HCM program. upon admission, they will begin as juniors and are expected to complete the program in two academic years.

“The importance of this agreement is that it gives our students a seamless route to continue their higher education and gain the skills they need for a rewarding career in the healthcare industry,” Dr. Sandel said. “We have a great partner in Jefferson College that is helping us make higher education affordable and accessible to everyone.”

To learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management Program at JCHS, visit www.jchs.edu/page.php/prmID/152.

To learn more about Virginia Western Community College, visit www.virginiawestern.edu.

JCHS and Virginia Western CommunityCollege Sign Healthcare Management

Articulation Agreement


JCHS President Dr. Nathaniel L. Bishop and Virginia Western President Dr. Robert Sandel (both seated) formally sign the HCM articulation agreement in March 2012.

Interprofessional Education (IPE) has become an important part of how we’re preparing the healthcare professionals of tomorrow. The IPE initiative allows students from a number of different disciplines and institutions to come together in the classroom, in labs and in real-world clinical activities to experience what it’s like to work as a team providing patient care.

IPE is an ongoing partnership between several educational entities in the region, including JCHS and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute (VTCSOM).

In March 2012, JCHS President Dr. Nathaniel L. Bishop was named Chair of the Department of Interprofessionalism at VTCSOM. Dr. Bishop was already serving as a faculty member at VTCSOM before assuming the new role. He will continue teaching, in addition to his duties as Chair and his responsibilities as President of JCHS.

“NL is a trusted partner, advisor and friend,” said Dr. Cynda Ann Johnson, VTCSOM President and Founding Dean. “His new role will deepen the ties between our two schools, enhancing healthcare education opportunities in our community. In addition, our partnership to provide medical and health professional students with interprofessional education is setting a model for other medical schools.”

JCHS and VTCSOM were among the first schools in the nation to integrate interprofessional learning across the curriculum. Both schools’ leaders and faculty members worked with their counterparts to build an integrated IPE program. In addition, faculty members at the Batten School of Leadership at Hollins university contributed to the curriculum.

In the past decade, a number of organizations focused on the improvement of medicine—including the Institute of Medicine, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation—have emphasized the importance of interprofessional learning in enhancing patient care and safety. A 2010 report from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation and the Carnegie Foundation stated that “if nursing, medical and other health professions students learn jointly in clinical settings, as graduates they will improve patient outcomes by working more collaboratively, communicating better with each other, and fostering a healthcare delivery system that assures quality and patient safety.”

“The partnership between the medical school and Jefferson College has helped both schools grow and thrive,” said Dr. Bishop. “Medicine is evolving to rely on team-based care. The interprofessionalism curriculum better prepares our graduates to work in the modern healthcare environment. I am humbled to lead the outstanding faculty members who make up the Department of Interprofessionalism at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, many of whom also serve as faculty members at Jefferson.”

J e f f e r s o n M a t t e r s


J C HS President Dr. Nathaniel L. Bishop Steps into Interprofessionalism Chair Role

Dr. Nathaniel L. Bishop speaking recently to incoming students at JCHS.


On Friday, December 16, 2011, JCHS celebrated our 2011 Winter Commencement Ceremony in Shaftman Hall at the Jefferson Center in Roanoke. Ninety-eight graduates became alumni after receiving baccalaureate and master’s degrees from a variety of academic programs at JCHS, including Nursing, Biomedical Sciences, Occupational Therapy and Physician Assistant.

After the academic processional, invocation and welcome, JCHS Physician Assistant student Luke Swatzyna presented the graduate student address. Following his remarks, Biomedical Sciences student Cornelius Powell spoke to gathered families, friends, instructors and fellow students.

As part of the ceremony, JCHS welcomed Cynda Ann Johnson, M.D., M.B.A., as the Winter Commencement Speaker. Dr. Johnson is the President and Founding Dean of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM). Dr. Johnson addressed the successful and growing collaborations between JCHS and VTCSOM in a number of areas, including our program of Interprofessional Education (IPE). More information about our IPE Program can be found on page 4 of this edition of the Jefferson Chronicle.

Everyone at JCHS wishes our 2011 winter graduates a happy, healthy and prosperous life as Jefferson College of Health Sciences Alumni!

Winter Commencement 2011Ninety-eight JCHS Students Become Alumni

J e f f e r s o n M a t t e r sJEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES

The JCHS Department of Student Affairs works closely with our students every day to ensure they have the support they need to maintain their health—a vital part of any college student’s success. With that in mind, JCHS and Carilion Clinic have coordinated on a new resource for our students: the Adolescent and Student Health Services Clinic.

Located in close proximity to our campus at 902 South Jefferson Street, this clinic offers our students a more convenient location for a wide range of healthcare services, including wellness visits, physicals, acute illness and minor injury treatments, immunizations, mental health counseling and more. The clinic treats patients up to age 26 from the community and Roanoke Valley schools; it accepts the same variety of health insurance as other Carilion Clinic facilities.

In addition, the clinic provides education and resources for parents, teens and college students, stressing the importance of making healthy lifestyle decisions.

To learn more about the Adolescent and Student Health Services Clinic, call Carilion Clinic at (540) 266-6000, or visit the clinic’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/carilionadolescenthealth.

JCHS and Carilion Clinic Coordinate on Adolescentand Student Health Services Clinic

Greetings, Jefferson College Alumni and Friends! I hope 2012 finds you thriving and well!

Your Alumni Association continues to actively develop as a prominent post-graduate resource for our alumni while striving to make a positive impact on the undergraduate experience of over 1,000 currently enrolled students at JCHS.

As such, the JCHS Alumni Association is proud to join in the celebration of our 30th anniversary as a degree-granting institution this year. With the establishment of the Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley College of Health Sciences—the precursor to Jefferson College of Health Sciences—the College we know today began its journey to becoming the leader in healthcare education that we are now.

Of course, our school’s history actually goes back even further than just 30 years, since we count both the Jefferson Hospital School of Nursing and the Lewis Gale School of Nursing as our founding schools. Both of those schools were created and led in the early to mid 1900s by healthcare providers with real vision: men like Dr. Hugh Trout and Mr. William Reid, whose efforts over the years were instrumental in turning Roanoke from a sleepy community tucked away in the mountains of southwest Virginia to a center of progressive healthcare and education today.

While we credit those visionaries for laying the foundations of our institution, it has been the hard work of the College’s current and past Presidents, as well as the dedicated faculty and staff, that has been the catalyst to creating JCHS. As you will see in the main article of this issue of the Jefferson Chronicle, Mr. Reid’s goal in 1982 was to simply get through a tough accreditation process and get the school founded. Thirty years later, we’re graduating hundreds of highly trained, quality healthcare professionals in all levels of medicine. All of us, from school founders and leaders to alumni, current students and faculty and staff, should be proud of the incredible legacy we’ve created together.

Our evolution continues under the leadership of current JCHS President Dr. Nathaniel L. Bishop. Plans are being developed to expand our graduate level programs and to add new undergraduate programs, like the Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy, which enrolls its first class in fall 2012. Additionally, JCHS administration, faculty, students and alumni have embraced the new spirit of Interprofessionalism, which brings the College together with other higher education institutions across the region to explore exciting new paths to collaboration.

The JCHS Alumni Association wishes you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012. We hope to hear from you and encourage your participation in the Alumni Association. Make sure you watch for information regarding the upcoming JCHS Riverside Run and Wellness Walk, which will be held on November 10, 2012 and will benefit the Alumni Association and SARA, Inc. This event will coincide with Homecoming this year. Many lively and exciting activities are planned over the entire weekend—providing many opportunities for Alumni and students alike.

Stay in touch!!

Sue Campbell Sue Campbell, MPAS, PA-C, ‘00 President, JCHS Alumni Association

P.S. - If you haven’t already, “like” us on Facebook to keep up-to-date on all of our current alumni news!


Sue Campbell, JCHS Alumni Association Board President

JCHS Alumni ASSoCiAtion

BoArd of direCtorS

exeCutiVe offiCerS

Sue Campbell, PA, ’00,PreSident

Melissa Ring, MSN, ’11, ViCe-PreSident

Kim Roe, RT, ’84,treaSurer

Lori Beth Davis, HSM, ’99, CorreSPonding SeCretary

Elisabeth Powell, PA, ’09, reCording SeCretary

BoArd memBerS

Patricia Crockett, RN, ’74 Karen Layman, OTA, ’95

Larry Lilley, III, EMS, ’85, RT, ’87, EHS, ’02, ASN, ’04, BSN, ’05

Phyllis McCallie, RN, ’58Al Overstreet, OTA, ’95, HOM, ’01

Cornelius Powell, BIO, ’11Cynthia P. Smith, MSN, ’07

Rebecca Underwood, BSN, ’11

Alumni Association PresidentSue Campbell, PA-C, ’00

A M e s s a g e f r o m y o u r

While most of the country was being entertained by the antics and serious work of paramedics Johnny Gage and Roy DeSoto in the 1970s television show, “Emergency!” a boy in Roanoke, Va. decided that emergency medicine would be his life’s work.

Andrew Slemp briefly considered following his surgeon father into medical school.

“We discussed it,” Slemp said. But the father and son agreed that his path to helping people was in emergency medicine—in one particular form of emergency medicine. “I always knew I wanted to fly,” he said.

Following high school, Slemp enrolled in the Jefferson College of Health Sciences where he learned to be a paramedic. He graduated in 1991 and began working as a flight paramedic in 1991. Several years later, while attending a conference in Michigan, he met his future wife. They married soon after and he moved to Morristown [Tennessee]. For the first couple of years, Slemp continued to work in Roanoke.

“I worked a 12-hour day and then spent the night with my parents,” he said.

He said that he’d then work a 24-hour shift and then drive home to Morristown. Lucky for the Slemp family, in 1998, a job opened at LifeStar Aeromedical Service at the university of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Slemp said there is a world of difference between being a paramedic in a ground unit and one flying 2,500 to 5,000 feet above the ground. The first challenge is to forget how high up you are and to concentrate on the patient.

Movement in a medical helicopter is extremely limited. The vibrations, noise and motion of the helicopter often make it difficult to hear changes in the patient’s condition.

“Listening for heart or breath sounds doesn’t happen in a helicopter,” he said.

He explained that flight paramedics have to depend on their monitors and their senses of sight and touch to determine how the patient is responding to treatment. While ground paramedics see a gamut of cases in the course of a shift, the situation for flight paramedics is often the same, caring for patients that are seriously ill or injured.

“It’s truly a matter of life and death,” Slemp said. “Ninety to 95 percent of the time, it’s life or death.”

At about the same time Slemp was deciding his career path and the country was learning about emergency medicine from medical television shows, emergency medicine was changing in this country. That was about the time doctors began talking about the “golden hour” for trauma, heart attack and stroke patients.

The introduction of aeromedical services made getting to the hospital within that golden hour much more possible, even for patients living in rural areas. The process is a team effort. The first people on the scene, local emergency medical service workers, are the ones who initially evaluate the patient and begin treatment. They then “package” patients who need to be flown to the hospital and hand them off to flight paramedics. The coordination between crews on the ground and crews in the air are critical.

“We can’t do our job without their assistance,” Slemp said. “Couple their training and the care they provide, it’s a seamless transition. Often we’re continuing the treatment they started. We’ve just got a quicker vehicle.”

J C H S A l u m n i P r o f i l eJEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES

J C HS Alum Andrew Slemp, ‘91 Finds His Calling with LifeStar The photo and article below are republished here courtesy of the Citizen tribune Newspaper, Johnson City, TN,

http://www.citizentribune.com/. The article, by Citizen tribune Staff Writer Denise Williams, first appeared in the newspaper as a “Lakeway Area Profile” on Nov. 7, 2011.


In the years since Slemp has been involved in emergency medicine, he has seen advances in technology, which has improved the patient’s chances of arriving at the hospital alive.

The biggest and most beneficial change, he said, is the teamwork between all aspects of emergency care, from EMS and EMT units on the ground to air medical services to the emergency rooms at hospitals throughout the region.

“The collaborative effort between them means better outcomes for patients,” he said.

In 2004 or 2005, Slemp became the public relations officer for LifeStar. His work then consisted of working with EMS agencies and hospitals to see what needs they had and how LifeStar could better help them. One of his greatest personal achievements was working with then-County Mayor David Purkey to get night goggles for LifeStar helicopters in Hamblen County. The goggles turn darkness into a quasi-daylight, allowing helicopter pilots the ability fly into areas that would be hazardous without them.

Today, Slemp serves as regional operations manager for LifeStar.

“I try to make sure all these folks [the flight crews] have what they need to do their jobs,” he said.

He also orders medical equipment, handles purchasing and logistics, hires personnel and helps with the budget.

“I even go to the mail room,” he joked.

While his current job doesn’t allow him to fly as much as he’d like, Slemp said he still goes on calls and maintains his certification.

“I still enjoy taking care of patients,” he said.

While he chose a different path than his father, Slemp said his father is still one of the greatest inspirations in his life.

“He’s really the one who taught me what it means to take care of people,” he said. “Dad truly has a service heart. That’s what I try to carry on myself.”

Just like in the old days, Slemp commutes quite a distance to work. He drives to Knoxville each day from his home in Morristown.

“While I’m not from Morristown, I certainly consider it home,” he said, adding that he has no plans to leave.

Slemp and his wife, Cheyrl, have two grown sons and a 13-year-old daughter.

“I’ve been very blessed with everything I’ve been able to accomplish in my career, but I’ve had a lot of help along the way,” he said, crediting his wife, family, faith and the people who helped him along the way.

Andrew Slemp, ’91Photo courtesy of the Citizen Tribune Newspaper, Johnson City, TN


Celebrating Three Decadesas a Degree Granting Institution

Thirty years ago, babies were not the only ones being born at Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley. That same year, the Hospital also gave birth to a small college, “Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley College of Health Sciences,” located in what was then the Carlton Terrace Building on Jefferson Street in downtown Roanoke. The inaugural class consisted of around a dozen associate degree students enrolled in Nursing or Respiratory Therapy, the only programs offered.

“The only vision I had for the College was getting it accredited and then, up and running,” remembered Mr. William R. Reid, who was serving as the President and Administrator of Community Hospital at that time and who oversaw the operation of the College as Chairman (he now serves as a member of the JCHS Board of Directors). upon opening, the College had been certified by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), making it the first hospital-based college in Virginia to offer associate degrees, but regional accreditation from the Southern Associations of Colleges and Schools (SACS) did not come until 1986.

“Our biggest problem with accreditation,” Mr. Reid continued, “was that there was only one other hospital-owned school like us in the country at the time. It was a tough process with SACS, who had never worked with a structure like this. We were unique in that way.”

J C HS 30th Anniversary:


JEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES

Dr. Nathaniel L. Bishop, current President of Jefferson College of Health Sciences, says this distinction as a hospital-owned college continues. “We are very pleased with all of the opportunities that come with being a department of Carilion Medical Center and an affiliate of Carilion Clinic, one of the largest and most innovative healthcare organizations in the country.”

“unique” was definitely the word to describe the historic opportunity that took place in the President’s Office at JCHS one recent sunny afternoon. Mr. Reid, the man who was instrumental in founding the modern iteration of the College in 1982, sat down to chat with Dr. Bishop, the man who leads the College now.

Reid’s role in healthcare in the Roanoke Valley stretches back to 1953, when he was named Administrator of Jefferson Hospital at age 26 after graduating from Virginia Tech with a Business Administration degree and from the Medical College of Virginia with a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration. A native of Bluefield, West Virginia, Reid led the Hospital for several decades, including the planning and construction of what is now Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital in the mid-1960s. Asked how much input he had into the one-of-a-kind design of the building, he says with a twinkle in his eye, “Oh, about 99.9 percent! The first time I saw this building was on paper in New York City at an architect’s office. I walked in and there this hospital was up on the wall. It was quite a nice feeling after the work we had put into planning it. Quite nice.”

In 1965, the certificate-granting Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley School of Nursing was created, an amalgamation of the Jefferson Hospital School of Nursing and the Lewis-Gale School of Nursing. Student recruiting efforts took place across Southwest Virginia and into neighboring states. “I knew we really had to work hard to keep the program going. Over the next few years, we would drive up through West Virginia and through this part of Virginia with a glee club to meet high school students. Our nursing students would sing and I would talk to the high school students about enrolling in the School. They probably enjoyed the singing better,” Reid said with a laugh.

The School did survive and continued to turn out nurses until the early 1980s, when Reid attended a national conference and realized the School would need to evolve quickly.

“I was on the National League of Nurses Executive Committee for Diploma Programs, and we had a large meeting in Chicago. I realized it was going to be in our best interest to transition from a certificate-granting school to a degree-granting college so, we started thinking about it at that time. It made sense to convert to a two-year degree program, particularly with how competitive things were getting.”

The School was competing head-to-head with other local schools offering a similar curriculum. “They offered a 24-month certificate program and it took our students 33 months to finish,” reflected Reid. “We decided if we wanted to be competitive, we needed to begin working toward an associate degree program that could be finished in two years.”

Through Mr. Reid and his staff’s hard work, the College developed a curriculum and gained approval to begin offering those degrees within a couple of years under the Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley College of Health Sciences name (which was commonly shortened to the College of Health Sciences).

According to Mr. Reid, there were plenty of growing pains in the first years of the College’s existence. First, to be in compliance with accreditation, Reid assumed the role of Chairman and brought in an academic administrator from another healthcare college in the northeast—an arrangement that lasted until 1989, when Dr. Harry Nickens was hired as the College’s first president. Second, there was the challenge of finding a physical home for the College, which landed in Carlton Terrace—a former apartment building over the years, among other things—after The Patrick Henry Hotel was rejected because it was too large and the

J C HS 30th Anniversary:


College would have had to share space with hotel guests. And finally, there was the issue of finding capable faculty to teach in the new College, which had previously been staffed by working physicians, nurses, and other clinical personnel.

The College of Health Sciences continued to operate throughout the 1980s, adjusting programs based on the needs of the local healthcare community. Among the programs that were added during this period were Emergency Health Sciences, Health Services Management, and Physical Therapist Assistant. Some of these programs are still being offered at JCHS today.

The end of the 1980s and start of the 1990s brought real change to the College. In addition to hiring Dr. Nickens in 1989 (who would serve as President for over a decade), Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley was merged with Roanoke Memorial Hospital. By extension, the College of Health Sciences was also now part of Roanoke Memorial, which greatly expanded the opportunities for student recruitment and clinical rotations in which students could be involved.

In 1992, Mr. Reid announced his retirement as President and Administrator of Community Hospital and Chairman of the College of Health Sciences. In recognition of his service and dedication to the health and well-being of Roanoke Valley residents, the Carlton Terrace building was renamed The Reid Center in his honor. “I was very proud of that,” said Mr. Reid, “but here’s a little history about that: I tried to get it named the Fralin Building in honor of Horace Fralin. Mr. Fralin said, ‘No, that should be the Reid Center.’ I was honored.”

Mr. Reid continues to be involved in the College through his service on the Board of Directors, where he served as Chair for many years. Additionally, in 2005 he demonstrated his commitment to educating future healthcare professionals with a $53,000 gift to the JCHS Education Foundation in memory of his late friend James I. Sublett. The James I. Sublett Nursing Scholarship honors Mr. Sublett’s lifetime commitment of service to persons in need of extended healthcare services. This scholarship—one of the largest at the College—is awarded to students seeking a career in nursing with the intent of working with geriatric patients.

The intervening 20 years between Mr. Reid’s retirement and today have seen explosive growth on a number of fronts at JCHS, including earning the right to offer bachelor’s degrees in 1995. Dr. Bishop has been deeply involved in much of that evolution—first as a Board member and then as the College’s third president, a role he stepped into in 2010.

“I am proud to say that we have accomplished a lot together over the years,” Bishop said. “For example, Jefferson College established the first Physician Assistant Program in the Commonwealth of Virginia and then transitioned it to the master’s level in response to national standards and the needs of the healthcare community. In 2010, we graduated the first class of master’s level PA along with the first master’s level Occupational Therapy students. That same year, the College moved from the Reid Center into newly renovated space inside the Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital. The College is developing a reputation for excellence in healthcare education.”

As a member of the JCHS Board of Directors from 2003 to 2010, Dr. Bishop worked closely with Dr. Carol Seavor, who took over as President of the College in 2002. Seavor led the institution through some of its most dramatic changes, including nearly doubling the student population from roughly 500 to 1,000 in just five years, and expanding academic programs to a total of 13 in less than a decade. In addition, the College was granted approval to begin offering graduate level degrees in 2005, beginning with a Master of Science in Nursing and adding Master’s degrees in Occupational Therapy and Physician Assistant just three years later.

In 2010, Dr. Seavor announced her retirement, and Dr. Bishop transitioned from his position as a Vice-President with Carilion Clinic into the presidency at JCHS. Since that time, the College continues to reach milestone after milestone. In late 2010, JCHS received reaffirmation of



accreditation from SACS through 2020. We have continued to expand our academic programs, adding a Bachelor of Science degree in Respiratory Therapy and an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program, as well as welcoming the Medical Laboratory Science Program from Carilion Clinic as part of our Biomedical Sciences curriculum.

Dr. Bishop has also led JCHS in embarking on a collaborative program of Interprofessional Education, partnering with fellow higher education institutions like the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM) in providing opportunities for healthcare students to interact and learn together before entering real-world clinical environments. In 2012, Bishop was named the Chair of Interprofessionalism at VTCSOM.

To broaden the community’s knowledge of JCHS and what we have to offer, President Bishop has also welcomed over 120 leaders to campus from dozens of organizations across the region with a vested interest in healthcare education, including representatives from other colleges and universities, municipal and state governments, local media, private healthcare companies, and the professional healthcare community, like our colleagues at Carilion Clinic.

With 30 years under our belt as a degree granting institution and an ever-increasing list of new achievements the College has accomplished, it is only natural to wonder what JCHS may look like three decades into the future in 2042.

“Today, we are continuing on the path charted by my creative predecessors as we work to further map and shape our future,” Bishop said. “I think the College is well positioned right now, and this is attributed to the hard work and keen, insightful vision that went into creating it in 1982, and in the years since. With about 1,100 students in eleven undergraduate and three graduate degree programs, I think we are well positioned to continue moving the College forward as we respond to the needs of a steadily growing and evolving healthcare industry. It is projected that between 2008 and 2018, an additional four million jobs will be coming online in healthcare. So, we want to be ready to respond to that growing need. While I do not see us doubling our numbers as we have in recent years, I do see us continuing to grow in quality and maybe in the number of programs we offer.”

When Mr. Reid was asked what he expected 30 years from now, he laughed and replied, “My retirement, hopefully.”

“And I will be right behind you,” chuckled Dr. Bishop.

Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley College of Health Sciences founded as the first hospital-based college in Virginia offering Associate Degrees in Nursing and Respiratory Therapy.

College obtains accreditation by the Southern Associations of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to grant degrees at the associate level.

College names its first President, Dr. Harry C. Nickens, a leader in the Roanoke community for over 20 years.

Reid Center named after William R. Reid, President/Administrator of Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley, when he announces his retirement.

College accredited by SACS to begin offering baccalaureate degrees.

SACS awards College with long-term accreditation in recognition of growth and solid academic programs.

College welcomes its second President, Dr. Carol Seavor.

Name of Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley College of Health Sciences changed to Jefferson College of Health Sciences.

JCHS granted Carnegie Level III status by SACS, which allows the College to offer graduate degrees. First master’s degree offered in Nursing, with the first students graduating in 2007.

Dr. Seavor announces her retirement. Among her accomplishments were nearly doubling the student body and expanding academic programs to 13 in less than a decade. Dr. Nathaniel L. Bishop is named Interim President.

JCHS successfully moves from Reid Center to newly renovated spaces at Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital.

Dr. Bishop is formally inaugurated as the third President of JCHS.

JCHS embarks on a series of partnerships with fellow higher education institutions, including a program of Interprofessional Education with the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute, shared spaces on campus with the Radford University Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program and articulation agreements with schools like Virginia Western Community College.

JCHS reaches new highs in student enrollment, welcoming approximately 1,110 students to campus in 14 degree programs on the graduate, baccalaureate and associate levels, while continuing to explore expansion of degree programs and opportunities.

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In the three decades since our College became a degree-granting institution, we have seen a tremendous amount of change. From the two associate degrees we initially offered in Nursing and Respiratory Therapy, we’ve expanded to the 14 degree programs on the master’s, bachelor’s and associate degree levels. Our student population has substantially grown from the couple dozen enrolled in 1982 to almost 1,100 today. We entirely relocated our classrooms, labs and offices from one building to another. And we even changed our name, adopting a new logo and identity in the process.

That’s more change than most colleges undergo in a lifetime and we’ve done it all in only 30 years!

The growth that we’ve experienced since 1982, and the growth that we expect to see in coming years, creates a need for additional funds that will support financial aid, student services, academic programs and faculty development.

In honor and celebration of our 30th anniversary as a degree-granting institution, we’re asking for your support. Whether you’re an alum of JCHS, Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley College of Health Sciences, Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley School of Nursing, Lewis Gale School of Nursing or the Jefferson Hospital School of Nursing, or a family member or loved one of a current student, or even just a friend of the College, you can make a contribution that will support the healthcare leaders of tomorrow as they learn on our campus and prepare to practice in our communities.

Please consider donating today to the JCHS Annual Fund. You can make an unrestricted gift that will be directed to the area of greatest need or, if you prefer, you can designate your donation for a specific use, such as directing it to a particular scholarship.

An institution’s strength can be measured in many ways: the quality of its faculty, the integrity of its students, the excellence of its community and the beauty of its campus. To that list, we can add the generosity of its alumni, parents and friends. We hope that with your gift, you will join us in looking forward to the next 30 years at JCHS and all of the exciting developments to come.

For more information about the JCHS Education Foundation and the Annual Fund, please contact Catherine Turner, JCHS Resource Development Officer, at (540) 224-4644 or at [email protected].

Yes! I/we will support the JCHS Education Foundation Annual Fund with a contribution of :

_____$30 _____$130 _____$300 _____$3,000 _____Other $____________

Name (as you wish to be recognized)______________________________________________________________________ Grad. Year ___________

Business (if applicable)______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

City, State Zip ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone #, email ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____ My check is enclosed, made out to the JCHS Education Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization.

_____ I prefer to charge the gift to (check one): ___Discover ___ MasterCard ___ Visa

Name on Card _________________________________________Card Number _____________________________________ Exp. Date ________

Signature ___________________________________________________

___I wish to pledge $ ______ to JCHS, payable over a period of ___months, to be completed by June 30, 2013.

* Please return in the enclosed envelope.




J C H S F a c u l t y P r o f i l e

In December 1983, Linda Rickabaugh, M.S.N., stepped through the doors of the Reid Center, excited about the opportunity that awaited her to build a nursing curriculum from the ground up.

“When I came to the College,” Linda said recently on a bright spring day in her office on the tenth floor of Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital, “we were right in the middle of transitioning from a certificate program to the two-year nursing degree. That transition is one of the things that really interested me.”

At the time, it had been less than a year since William Reid and the Board of the Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley had gotten approval to begin offering two associate level degrees at the College. Over the next two years, Linda and her fellow faculty would shepherd two distinct classes of students to their graduations: one was finishing the three-year certificate program and the other was working toward the two-year associate degree. “It was certainly a challenge running two programs at the same time,” Linda said, “but the appeal was that we were creating an entirely new curriculum for the associate degree program. A lot of other colleges had just taken the three-year or bachelor’s level programs and condensed it into a two-year associate program. But, we were given the freedom to build it from the bottom up and make it exactly what we wanted it to be. That was new for me.”

By the time Linda arrived at the Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley College of Health Sciences, though, she already had an impressive amount of experience under her belt. She started at Roanoke College, but moved back to her native New York when she got married after two years in school, later finishing her bachelor’s degree at Columbia university. After graduation, Linda and her husband, who was in the Air Force, relocated to Anchorage, Alaska, where she worked as a staff nurse at a small hospital.

After her husband’s discharge around 1970, the couple returned to southwest Virginia so he could finish his degree at Roanoke College. Shortly thereafter, she began working at Roanoke Memorial Hospital and was soon being courted to join the faculty of the professional nursing school there.

“I had a bachelor’s degree, which in those days was like a flashing neon light,” Linda remembered. “Back then, nobody had a bachelor’s degree. I was getting ready to have a baby, so I thought it would be better hours than working on the floor. I was there for five years.”

After that, Linda taught at Virginia Western Community College for six years and spent time working at the VA Hospital in Salem. In 1983, when she saw an ad for a teaching position at the College of Health Sciences, however, things changed.

“I never worked anywhere for more than five years before I came here,” she said. “There was always something new—a new challenge to explore. There was always something changing. That’s why it’s so unusual that I’ve stayed. I never got bored.”

When asked what it was that kept her at the College for nearly three decades, Linda smiles. “The opportunity for growth and change,” she said. “It’s very, very hard in most institutions to make that happen. There are fewer barriers here to growing and changing than in other places. I can remember when Becky Clark and I started the RN-to-BSN program, we travelled around and visited other schools with similar programs and were given freedom to make it happen because there was a need for that type of graduate. There has always been that openness to exploring new areas if there was a legitimate need in the healthcare community. It allows us to be very creative as an institution.”

Since her first days at the College, Linda has seen an incredible amount of change, including massive growth of the student body, an expansion of the academic curriculum, a new campus and even a name change. But she says she always knew the school could become what it is today.

“The College has always thought big, starting back under the leadership of Mr. Reid,” she said. “We’ve always thought, ‘We’re not as small as everyone thinks we are. We’re going places!’ I remember [former College President] Harry Nickens once said during a retreat, ‘I want this to be the best small healthcare college in the united States.’ The College has always dreamed big. So, it isn’t that big of a surprise to me. The people here have always been visionary and it takes visionary people to do great things.”

Some things haven’t changed in the last 30 years, though, according to Linda. “My students tend to be younger now, and we’re more diverse in a number of ways,” she said, “but basically, they’re the same in that they want to make a difference and help people. Plus, nursing students are exceptionally motivated and that hasn’t changed much. Compared to some other college students, nursing students are very focused and want to make a better life for themselves and their families. That’s always been the case and it probably always will be.”

Looking ahead, Linda, who retired from full-time teaching at the end of the spring 2012 semester, sees a bright future for JCHS. “We’ll probably be offering doctoral programs and we’ll develop even closer ties to the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. Hopefully, there will be 50 more academic programs for students to choose from and more research going on, which is great for students, faculty and the patients who will benefit from it.”

As for her retirement plans, Linda says she and her husband will volunteer more, including working with hospice patients, in disaster relief and with charitable opportunities through her church. The pair also plan to travel more with their two long-haired dachshunds, Honeybun and Tigger.

“After I clean the house,” Linda said with a laugh, “that’s the first thing I need to do!”

Reflections on Almost 30 Years of Teaching: Linda Rickabaugh, R.N., M.S.N., Associate Professor in Nursing

Linda Rickabaugh, R.N., M.S.N., Associate Professor in Nursing

14 VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.JCHS.EDU


J C H S S c h o l a r s h i p P r o f i l e

The George Solonevich Scholarship

George Solonevich was an accomplished book illustrator and artist who eventually moved to Roanoke after living under tyranny in other parts of the world. As a young man, Mr. Solonevich fled Stalinist Russia after being jailed several times in his young life. From Russia, he went to Germany, only to live through the tortuous Nazi power.

In 1993, Mr. Solonevich suffered life-threatening burns in an accident and often expressed his appreciation for the paramedics who rescued him from his mountaintop home. Upon Mr. Solonevich’s death in 2003, his close friend Edwin Ewing, in close consultation with Solonevich’s widow Inga, established a scholarship in memory of his late friend. The scholarship honors students from Roanoke’s Patrick Henry and William Fleming High Schools who enroll in the Bachelor of Science in Emergency Services Program at JCHS.

Today, JCHS is awarding the $3,000 Solonevich Scholarship to a qualified applicant—a tradition that will continue annually, with preference given for minority candidates.

To fund this scholarship, JCHS is selling prints of one of Mr. Solonevich’s favorite paintings, Freedom’s Price, a portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. You can purchase a copy of the 14” x 20” archival-quality print by making a gift of $50 for an unframed print or $150 for a framed print to the George Solonevich Scholarship at the JCHS Education Foundation.

For more information about purchasing a print to support the George Solonevich Scholarship, or to make a donation, please contact Catherine Turner, JCHS Resource Development Officer, at (540) 224-4644 or at [email protected].

To learn more about how to apply for the George Solonevich Scholarship, contact the JCHS Office of Financial Aid at 1-888-985-8483 or (540) 985-8267.

George Solonevich

Freedom’s Price, a print by Mr. Solonevich



J C H S S e n i o r P r o f i l e

At 28, Jessie Toms was facing a crossroads in her life. She was going through a divorce, had a two-year-old son and needed to quickly find a career that would support the two of them. That’s when she chose Jefferson College of Health Sciences as the place where she could begin a journey to a new life.

“My mother had been the office manager for [longtime Carilion Clinic physician] Robert C. Keeley, so I had always been interested in medicine,” said the Roanoke native. “I had heard great things about the Respiratory Therapy Program at Jefferson College, so I decided that’s where I would start.”

It had been a decade since Jessie had stepped foot in a classroom and she was anxious about her return to the world of academia. It didn’t take long, though, for her to find that JCHS was the perfect fit. She made fast friends of her classmates and professors, and excelled in her classes.

By late fall 2010, Jessie decided she wanted to be more active in the evolving and growing JCHS community. “I began attending Student Senate meetings and started volunteering and assisting in fundraising efforts,” Jessie said. “I became an active member of the American Medical Student Association and was elected President of the Respiratory Therapy Class of 2012. I just dove in and really embraced it.”

As part of her duties as President of her Respiratory Therapy Class, Jessie began organizing volunteer opportunities and fundraising efforts for her fellow students to participate in. This gave her to chance to expand the group of students, faculty and staff she worked with, which led to opportunities she never could have imagined just a few short years ago.

In fall 2011, Jessie was elected Student Body Chair by members of the Student Senate. In this role and as a result of her growing friendship with JCHS President Dr. Nathaniel L. Bishop, she was asked to speak at his Inauguration in September of that year.

Today, Jessie continues to find her volunteer and fundraising calendar very full. She has also taken on a second major in Biomedical Sciences, and she’s earning a paycheck on campus through the JCHS Work Study Program.

“I’m constantly learning new things involving a lot of different aspects of science through the Work Study Program,” Jessie said. “It reinforces what I’ve learned in all of the labs, exams and experiments I’ve done during my time at Jefferson.” Jessie has served as a lab assistant and a faculty assistant in the program, also devoting time to tutoring students in need.

While undertaking all of these responsibilities, Jessie still finds time to devote to her son, with whom she spends as much time as possible. One of their favorite activities is riding horses on their farm.

After several years of hard work and dedication, Jessie received her Associate of Applied Science in Respiratory Therapy degree during our May 2012 Commencement exercises—but she’s not leaving JCHS just yet. “I’m coming back next fall to finish my Biomedical Sciences degree and then I plan to start my Master of Science in Physician Assistant at Jefferson, “ she said, “and I may even come back to teach at JCHS sometime in the future.”

Jessie Toms, ’12, Respiratory TherapyJessie Toms, ’12, Respiratory

Therapy, posing in front of Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital on the JCHS campus.

April Grisetti-Nail, PA, ’06, is now working full-time in a busy urgent care, part-time doing family medicine with a wonderful Santa Fe doctor, and working the occasional Aid Room shift for Santa Fe Ski Patrol in winter. She is also an assistant instructor with Wilderness Medical Associates and an active volunteer with Atalaya Search and Rescue in Santa Fe. In her spare time, she is fortunate to live in a part of the country that offers so many exciting opportunities for fun in the great outdoors.

Kristin Hall Campbell, RT, ’08, and Herman (Trey) Belt Hall, III, Fire/EMS, ’07, are proud to announce the birth of their son, Cameron David Hall, on Aug. 14, 2011 (see photo below).

Amanda Hullett, BioMed, ’07, PA, ’09, is working as a Physician Assistant at The Art & Science of Dermatology.

Kathleen Hurst Ferrell, PA, ’07, was married in May 2011 to Will Ferrell at Valhalla Vineyards in Roanoke. She is working in the Center for Esophageal Diseases and Swallowing at the university of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The group specializes in Barrett’s Esophagus, eosinophilic esophagitis, and achalasia, as well as other esophageal motility and functional disorders.

Jason Feyerherd, PA, ’08, was married in October 2010 to Alexis Gill, R.N., ‘10. He is currently employed by Commonwealth Neonatology, Inc. (see photo above).

Christina Gardner, PA, ’05, had a baby boy in December 2011, Gavin Gardner, who weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. She also received her D.H.Sc. from Nova Southeastern university in October 2011. (see photo right).


1960sGelene Annette Tiller, CHRV School of Nursing, ’68, graduated in the first class of the Community Hospital School of Professional Nursing in 1968. She worked at the Medical College of Virginia in the operating room after graduation. She then lived in Bangkok, Thailand for two years with her husband during the Vietnam War. When they returned to the uS, she began working at Community Hospital and then Roanoke Memorial Hospital, both in the operating room. Gelene completed an RN-to-BSN program at Radford university and an MSN in Acute Care Nursing at Liberty university. She stayed in Operating Room Services in management and education until she began working at Jefferson College of Health Sciences around 2000. She is now working part-time, three days per week at JCHS and lives at Smith Mountain Lake. She has two daughters and three grandchildren. 2000sSteven Bowdel, PA, ’06, has completed a Master of Physician Assistant Science at the university of Nebraska and a Doctorate of Health Science at A.T. Still university. He is currently working in psychiatry in a rural community, Lander, Wyoming.

Angela Tanner Bowman, PA, ’09, was recently married to Daniel Bowman (see photo above).

Class NotesClass Notes

Angela Tanner Bowman, PA, ’09, and her husband Daniel Bowman

Jason Feyerherd, PA, ’08, and Alexis Gill, R.N., ‘10

Cameron David Hall, born Aug. 14, 2011

Gavin Gardner, born Dec. 2011

Neelema Patel, PA, ’09, is working at Lumberton Children’s Clinic as a Pediatric Physician Assistant.

Albert Pavalonis, Nursing, ’06, BioMed, ’08, graduated from the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine on June 2, 2012.

Ron Rodriguez, PA, ’06, has been working in dermatology since graduation. He is currently at Charlotte Dermatology. He has been married for four years to Effie and they have a daughter, Zoe, who just turned two.

Adam Shiffman, PA, ’07, started a new position with Berkeley Emergency Medicine Group in May 2012. He plays in an adult kickball league – he says it’s just like you remember it as a kid, but a little more adult in nature.

Jamie Stevens, PA, ’08, after two years in American Samoa with the National Health Service Corps doing Primary Care and Emergency Medicine, is back in his hometown of Lynchburg, VA, working for Centra in Cardiology.

Angela Struna, PA, ’08, is working in a private Family Practice Office. She is also 1st Lt. in the 153rd Command and Control Squadron, Wyoming Air National Guard, where she serves as their PA.

Cheryl Milton, ADN, ’08, and her husband, Dan Milton, are proud to announce the arrival of their son, Benjamin Lucas Milton, on Dec. 31, 2011 at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital (see photo below).

Megan McDonald, PA, ’08, has been working at Gastroenterology Consultants of Southwest Virginia since graduation. She has developed her niche with Hepatitis C patients. Megan and her husband welcomed a baby girl, Reese Shannon, into the world in March 2011.

Erin Myers, PA, ’09, is working as a Physician Assistant at Endocrine Care and Education Center and Skin Care Consulting in Roanoke.

Melissa Ann Whitfield Noble, PA, ’08, married Tyler Noble in June of 2011 and they are excited to announce that they are expecting their first child in August. (see photo right).



Class NotesSarah Wilson, PA, ’09, gave birth to her second son on Aug. 4, 2011. She continues to work at a rural health clinic as part of a critical access hospital in southeastern Arizona.

Magen Arthur Windel, PA, ’06, and her husband, Joe Windel, are proud to announce the birth of their baby boy, Colin Lee Windel, on Sept. 16, 2011 (see photo below).

Jade Tollar Wright, PA, ’08, works as a Physician Assistant in Charlotte, NC at North Carolina Neuropsychiatry. She is living in Huntsville with her husband, Justin, and their two dogs, June and Drake.

Jackie Zeltvay, PA, ’08, has been working in psychiatry with her husband, Dr. Nicholas A. Zeltvay, since graduation. They have been married for 30+ years. She is currently studying to take the CAQ exam in Psychiatry in September 2012.

Melissa Ann Whitfield Noble, PA, ’08, and her

husband Tyler Noble

Benjamin Lucas Milton, born Dec. 31, 2011

Colin Lee Windel, born Sept. 16, 2011


F a c u l t y / S t a f f B r i e f sClass Notes

2010sDebra Cobbeldick, PA, ’10, has been working in orthopedics for one year and loves her position with Southern Virginia Orthopedics.

Monica Cooper, PA, ’10, and her husband, Eric, welcomed their son, Wyatt Jackson Cooper, to the world on June 3, 2011 (see photo right).

Jamie Fairgrieve, PA, ’11, is expecting a baby boy, due July 25, 2012.

Michael Feroli, PA, ’11, is working at Carilion Clinic in the Emergency Department.

Crystal Waagmeester Foster, PA, ’10, started a great position after graduation with urology Associates, right next to the JCHS. She also got married in summer 2011.

Jennifer Hanopole, PA, ’10, gave birth to a baby boy on Feb. 5, 2011, Mason Edward Hanopole. In 2012, she started part-time at Alamance Regional Medical Center with Occupational Health, mainly serving at Elon university for their faculty and staff with hopes to integrate in to helping with the Physician Assistant Program that starts in the spring of 2013 (see photo below).

Darin Hevener, PA, ’11, started working with three vascular surgeons at Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg, VA in February 2012. This position entails

inpatient rounding, consults, clinic visits and some minor office procedures. He is also engaged to be married in summer 2012.

Melanie Hinkle, PA, ’11, is working as a PA-C with Southwest Virginia Cardiology.

Kateland Kelly, PA, ’10, moved to Salt Lake City, uT after graduation and is enjoying mountain

biking, yoga and CrossFit now that she has the time. She is working as the Lead Physician Assistant for Onsite Care Clinic, a company devoted to providing customized preventative healthcare on company premises. She is currently stationed within the Futura Aluminum Company, where she is spearheading the company’s Biggest Loser competition and 5K fun run. Kateland got engaged on her birthday in October to Sean Dickey. They plan to get married in a few years once he completes his nursing program.

Amber Khan, PA, ’11, is moving to Texas to start her career.

Allie Lewis, PA, ’10, has moved to Williamsburg, VA and is greatly enjoying her orthopedic PA position. Surgery is going wonderfully and she couldn’t be happier with her job. She is also involved with the William & Mary track and field team as a volunteer assistant coach and is keeping up her training, though she misses her 2010 PA class running club.

Nicole (Nikki) Mallmann Payette, PA, ’10, got married in April 2011 and began her current position with Fredericksburg

Orthopaedic Associates in August 2011. She is in the OR and clinic each week and absolutely loves it.

Christopher J. Thomas, PA, ’10, is currently employed in the Department of Surgery division of Thoracic surgery at the university of Virginia. Patients include those suffering with esophageal and lung cancer.

Betty Tomlinson, PA, ’10, is currently deployed to Afghanistan working with the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) of Paktika, Afghanistan. A PRT is a civil-military institution that is able to penetrate the most unstable and insecure areas because of its military component and is able to stabilize these areas because of the capabilities brought by its diplomacy, defense and development components. When not deployed, she works in Family Practice at Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Base in Hawaii, providing medical care to service members and their dependents.

Send us your new baby photos, and we’ll send

you a JCHS baby bib!

E-mail digital images (at least 300 dpi) to [email protected] or mail to Catherine Turner, JCHS Resource Development Officer, 101 Elm Avenue, SE, Roanoke, VA

24013-2222.Mason Edward Hanopole, born Feb. 5, 2011

Wyatt Jackson Cooper, born June 3, 2011



F a c u l t y / S t a f f B r i e f sClass NotesMartha Anderson, D.N.P., Associate Professor in the JCHS Nursing Program, addressed a luncheon at the 10th Annual Alzheimer’s Education Conference on “Best Practices in Dementia Care” on Nov. 29, 2011 at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center. Dr. Anderson’s participation included interviewing clients with early dementia and the event drew over 400 attendees with both professional and personal ties to the issue.

Ally Bowersock, Ph.D., Director of the JCHS Health & Exercise Science Program, successfully defended her thesis on Feb. 15, 2012 at Virginia Tech entitled, “Healing By Example: The Influences of Medical Residents’ Attitudes and Health Behaviors on their Communication Skills and Counseling Practices.” Her Ph.D. in Education and Curriculum, with a cognate in Health Promotion, was conferred on May 11, 2012.

Elliot Carhart, M.H.S., Assistant Professor in the JCHS Emergency Services Program, was featured in a profile about how he became an educator on the website, “EMS World” in March 2012.

Francis C. Dane, Ph.D., JCHS Chair of Arts & Sciences and Director of the JCHS Health Psychology Program, has been appointed to the Carilion Clinic Research Merit Committee. In addition, Dr. Dane was one of six co-authors on the article, “Fatigue in Medical Residents Leads to Reactivation of Herpes Virus Latency,” which was published in the 2011 edition of the journal Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases. Dr. Dane also received the “Editor-in-Chief ’s Citation for Meritorious Service” from the journal Ethnicity & Disease, an international publication that is dedicated to research on ethnic patterns of disease. Dr. Dane also serves as a member of the journal’s Editorial Board.

De-dee Foti, D.N.P., Associate Director of the Pre-licensure Traditional BSN Program, has been appointed to lead the Roanoke Chapter of the Virginia Nurses Association. In addition, Dr. Foti successfully defended her doctoral thesis entitled,

“Perceptions of Academic Dishonesty Among Students Enrolled in a Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing Program,” on Feb. 2, 2012 at Case Western Reserve university Frances Bolton Payne School of Nursing.

Jeannie Garber, D.N.P., Assistant Professor in the JCHS Nursing Program, passed the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Nurse Executive Advanced Certification Examination, giving her the right to use the initials NEA-BC as a credential.

Robert Hadley, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the JCHS Physician Assistant Program, was featured as one of the leaders of the national PA organization, the American Academy of Physician Assistants, on their website in March 2012.

Kimberly Brown Hall, D.N.P., Assistant Professor in the JCHS Nursing Program, successfully defended her doctoral research entitled, “Teaching Effectiveness and Mentoring in Baccalaureate Clinical Nursing Faculty.” She has now completed her D.N.P. through Case Western Reserve university. In addition, Dr. Hall was a contributing author for Nursing Leadership: A Concise Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition. She contributed to the “Internships” and “Interprofessional Leadership” sections.

Sharon Hatfield, Ph.D., JCHS Chair of Community Health Sciences, was awarded the Distinguished Research Paper Award from the Southern Association of Community College Researchers. In addition, Dr. Hatfield received one of 16 Distinguished Research Paper awards at the American Educational Research Association’s Annual International Meeting in Vancouver, Canada on April 16, 2012. She presented her research paper, “The Entrepreneurial Community College,” which focuses on finding alternative revenue to financially support colleges facing declining budgets.

David Haynes, D.H.Sc., Director of the JCHS Master of Science in Occupational Therapy Program (MSOT), and Scott McNeil, O.T.D., Assistant Professor in

MSOT, led a team of students and faculty to the annual statewide conference for the Virginia Occupational Therapy Association in Williamsburg, VA from Oct. 29-30, 2011. At the event, Dr. Haynes received a service award for his years as the Alternate Rep to the National Representative Assembly.

Susan Jones, M.S.N., Assistant Professor in the JCHS Nursing Program; George Steer, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the JCHS Respiratory Therapy program; Patricia Airey, D.H.Sc., Director of the JCHS Physician Assistant Program; Milena Staykova, Ed.D., Assistant Professor in the JCHS Nursing Program; Chase Poulsen, M.Ed., Director of the JCHS Respiratory Therapy Program; and Sara Nicely, M.P.A.S., Assistant Professor in the JCHS Physician Assistant Program, presented the podium research session, international webinar and poster presentation, “Effects of an Interdisciplinary Simulation Activity on Student Confidence Levels of Team Collaboration Skills,” at the Elsevier/Mosby’s Faculty Development Institute in Las Vegas, Nevada on Jan. 3, 2012. The group also presented this information at the 4th Annual Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy at Virginia Tech on Feb. 9, 2012.

Wilton Kennedy, D.H.Sc., Director of Clinical Education in the JCHS Physician Assistant Program, has been appointed to the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) Interprofessional Education Group and will serve as the group’s Chair. PAEA established this 11-member group to develop their strategy to advance interprofessional education, including: research priorities; identification of best practice; recommended partnerships; development of institutional, local and national action/work plans; communication strategy; and timelines and priorities.

Glenn Kent, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in JCHS Health Psychology, was the keynote speaker for the National Wellness Institute’s webinar for the month of February 2012. Dr. Kent’s talk entitled, “Body Mass Index, Obesity, and Health: An unclear Relationship,” offered facts and statistics

F a c u l t y / S t a f f B r i e f s


Save the Datethat challenge long-held beliefs about BMI, obesity and health with the intent to improve the quality of information offered to individuals in need of health advice.

Paula Prince, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the JCHS Humanities and Social Sciences Department, and Judy Lash, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the JCHS Physician Assistant Program, led a team of JCHS Physician Assistant students in, “1,000 Homes for 1,000 Virginians,” a community homelessness project through the Roanoke Valley/Alleghany Regional Advisory Council on Homelessness that took place from Jan. 23-27, 2012. The project included a survey conducted by jurisdictions in the Commonwealth of Virginia in order to obtain baseline data on the number of homeless individuals living in communities, and to ascertain basic demographic information about the homeless population. In addition, Dr. Prince presented, “The Polio Epidemic in Southwest Virginia - 1944-1955” for the Nancy Fleming Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution on April 6, 2012. Dr. Prince also presented, “The Consequences of underaged Drinking” during the Roanoke Area Substance Abuse Coalition’s, “Town Hall Meeting: Youth and Alcohol, Changing Outcomes” at Virginia Western Community College on April 7, 2012.

Janet Phillips, D.H.Sc., Program Director in Healthcare Management, has been awarded recertification in Healthcare Quality. The Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality designation is representative of professional and academic achievement by individuals in the field of healthcare quality management.

Bob Reese, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the JCHS Health Psychology Program, addressed the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society at their annual continuing education sessions held in conjunction with the NFL Physicals & Scouting Combine on Feb. 21-22, 2012, in Indianapolis, IN. Dr. Reese delivered a presentation entitled, “There Is Life After Football,” and led a round table discussion.

Melody Sharp, D.N.P., Director of the JCHS Post-Licensure and Accelerated BSN Programs, presented a poster entitled, “using Formative Assessments in an Online Course to Promote Student Learning” at the 2012 Lilley Conference on College & university Teaching in Greensboro, NC from Feb. 10 -12, 2012. At the same conference, Michael Slaughter, M.S., Assistant Professor in the JCHS Mathematics & Science Program, presented a poster entitled, “The Development of a Digital Herbarium.”

Kelley Shinn, M.F.A., Adjunct Professor of English in the JCHS Humanities and Social Sciences Department, had the essay, “I Know Something about Running” published in Bayou Magazine and the short story, “Taking Heart” published in the Blood Orange Review in 2011. Both have now been nominated for 2012 Pushcart Prizes. In addition, Ms. Shinn had her essay, “Ebb and Flow” accepted for publication in the Fall 2012 issue of The Cold Mountain Review.

Darrell Shomaker, M.A., Program Director of Humanities and Social Sciences, received a Certificate of Completion for Training in Human Subjects Protection, issued by Virginia Tech’s IRB Chair, Dr. David Moore. In addition, Mr. Shomaker presented, “Identifying Ethical Norms in Clinical Laboratory Science” to the Virginia Society for Clinical Laboratory Sciences on April 20, 2012.

Milena Staykova, Ed.D., Assistant Professor in the JCHS Nursing Program, co-presented the podium presentation, “Competencies of Nurse Educators in Curriculum Design: A Delphi Study,” with three BSN students at the 4th Annual Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy at Virginia Tech on Feb. 8, 2012. At the same conference, Dr. Staykova partnered with Christine Huson, M.S.N., Assistant Professor in the JCHS Nursing Program, and Deidra Pennington, M.S.N., Assistant Professor in the JCHS Nursing Program, to present the poster, “A Preceptorship Handbook as a useful Reference in Mentoring BSN Senior Students” on Feb. 9, 2012.

George Steer, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the JCHS Respiratory Therapy Program, presented the poster, “Effects of

an Interprofessional Clinical Simulation Activity on Student Confidence Levels of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Skills,” and an Open Forum Session on interprofessional education at the American Association for Respiratory Care International Congress, 57th Annual Convention and Exhibition in Tampa, FL. In addition to Dr. Steer, the poster was authored by Susan Jones, M.S.N., Assistant Professor in the JCHS Nursing Program; Patricia Airey, D.H.Sc., Program Director of the JCHS Physician Assistant Program; Milena Staykova, Ed.D., Assistant Professor in the JCHS Nursing Program; and Chase Poulsen, M.Ed., Program Director of the JCHS Respiratory Therapy Program.

Stuart Tousman, Ph.D., Professor in the JCHS Health Psychology Program, taught a three-hour inservice to the Roanoke County School of Nursing on March 16, 2012. His students included 25 nurses who work in the county school system. The presentation was about coping with chronic childhood diseases and self-management issues in relation to asthma. In addition, Dr. Tousman and JCHS graduate Jennifer Mason discussed asthma with six different junior high school science classes at Breckenridge Middle School on April 2, 2012. Dr. Tousman also delivered the presentation, “Designing an Effective Adult Asthma Self-Management Program” at Carilion Clinic’s fifth annual Research Day on May 10, 2012. And, Dr. Tousman collaborated with George Steer, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the JCHS Respiratory Therapy Program, to help the Roanoke City Health Department write a grant to the Virginia Department of Health to get funding for a tobacco cessation program. In April 2012, the Health Department was informed that they were awarded the top funding amount of nearly $15,000 from the Tobacco use Control Project to implement the programming in the City of Roanoke.

Watch for more details on the JCHS website at www.jchs.edu soon!For more information, contact Catherine Turner, JCHS Resource Development Officer,

at (540) 224-4644 or at [email protected].

All proceeds from the race benefit the JCHS Alumni Association and SARA, Inc.


November 9 - 10, 2012Weekend activities to include:

Alumni Luncheon • President’s Reception • Brewery Tour • Alumni CelebrationWatch for more information in the coming months!

Save the DateJefferson College of Health Sciences

6th Annual Homecoming Reunion

Mark your calendars nowfor the inaugural

5K Riverside Run &Wellness Walk!

Saturday, November 10, 2012Race starts at 9 a.m.

At JCHS, we want to engage our alumni and keep them involved in our development as a leader in healthcare higher education in the region. One way we are doing this is by implementing new traditions, like this year’s inaugural graduation gift initiative.

The Graduation Gift Campaign, entitled “Leave Your Mark,” ran from April 2-20, 2012, with all funds raised benefiting the S. Lynn Marshall Emergency Fund. This fund helps JCHS students continue their education at the College by providing temporary financial support in times of need. We are proud to announce that in our first year, 29 graduates participated and raised $1,000.

We plan to continue implementing new traditions like the Graduation Gift Campaign so that our graduating students can give back to those who come after them. For more information, contact Catherine Turner, JCHS Resource Development Officer, at (540) 224-4644 or at [email protected].

101 Elm Ave., SERoanoke, VA 24013-2222

Did You Notice...?

NON-PROFIT ORGu.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 78ROANOKE, VA

The JCHS GraduationGift Campaign

Documents

Jefferson Chronicle-Spring/Summer 2012